Ready, aim, fire! This summer’s Russian hockey flash mob
How in just a week, players turned a trick into a flash mob and a bucket into the main subject of attention of the summer.
We all still remember how a few years ago the world was taken by storm by the Ice Bucket Challenge. Because of it, the internet was flooded with challenges for every taste, but we didn’t have anything specific to hockey… until last week. Grigory Panin, a defenseman with Salavat Yulaev Ufa, uploaded to his Instagram account a video where he shot a puck into a bucket (vedro in Russian) starting a true fever with the straightforward name of #vedrochallenge.
Repost @panin_57: "Передаю эстафетку, @burdi71 @alexburmi91 @maximamin78". ✌ Looks like we have a new thing: #VedroChallenge. Grigory Panin challenges Anton Burdasov, @alexburmi91 and @maximamin78.
The challenge’s mechanics, differently from the trick itself, is rather simple: upload a video, name three of your friends and challenge them. And so it started!
The first to reply Panin’s challenge was his teammate Anton Burdasov. The forward could not put the biscuit in the basket at the first attempt, but two shots were more enough, and the puck ended right where it should be: into the bucket! Burdasov celebrated imitating FIFA World Cup champion Antoine Griezmann as the WC fever was still high in Russia. Or maybe, Burdasov and Griezmann are simply fans of the viral video game Fortnite?
. Repost @burdi71: Принял #VedroChallenge от @panin_57 и передаю дальше в Омск @pyanov45 в SL @vt9191 и в LA @ilyakovalchukofficial
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Should we complicate things up? Ak Bars Kazan forward Alexander Burmistrov did it: not only he hit the jackpot with a deadly backhander, but he did it while wearing a 35-lb power vest. However, while Burmistrov had a tremendous showing and is working hard on his physique, he was upstaged by Daniil Kurashov’s celebration dance, perfectly executed wearing only a bath towel. By the way, did you recognize the moves? It’s from Backpack Kid – yet another viral trend on the internet. We can now be entirely sure that hockey players follow all the latest trends and the #vedrochallenge has a bright future in front of itself.
. Repost @alexburmi91: Принял эстафету от @panin_57 #VedroChallenge в жилете 16 кг, после 10 км
We mentioned the recent FIFA World Cup. Recently, Team Russia forward Artyom Dzyuba asked Vladimir Putin – a well-known hockey aficionado – to exchange hockey skates for football boots, but hockey players didn’t stay on the side: SKA forward Sergei Plotnikov first showed all his skills hitting the bucket lying in a basketball ring, then he challenged Dzyuba himself. We don’t think that Artyom needs any advice, but it seems that it will be necessary to throw away his soccer ball in favor of pucks and sticks.
Sergei Plotnikov with a SPLASH 
. Repost @plots061: Повышаем сложность #VedroChallenge. Вызываю @andreymironov и @artem.dzyuba! . This is literally a new level. Up next in #VedroChallenge: Dynamo Moscow d-man Andrei Mironov and Russian national football team forward Artem Dzyuba from @zenit_spb.
The hockey challenge is involving players from both ends of the Ocean. Not all the players could have a happy ending: on Maxim Mamin’s Instagram, a real drama was consummated when he almost announced his retirement after failing to hit the bucket. Maxim, don’t be too disappointed: you just won an Oscar nomination!
О нет, Максим... / Oh no, Max... #VedroChallenge . Repost @maximamin78: Челлендж от @panin_57 принял , передаю @goldy_78 @denismalgin @kvadrat_80 . #VedroChallenge accepted by Maxim Mamin! Up next: @goldy_78, @denismalgin, @kvadrat_80.
And what about taking on the #vedrochallenge blindfolded? Valentin Pyanov’s attempt was perhaps the most impressive so far. There is nothing to add.
No-look #VedroChallenge! . Repost @pyanov45: Камера,мотор,поехали 
«С первого дубля» 
#Безмонтажа #Авангард #КХЛ . Avangard forward Valentin Pyanov at his best.
The famous actor and hockey fan, who befriends with many of the top Russian hockey players, Stanislav Yarushin, couldn't stay on a side during the challenge and decided to have his attempt directly on the set. Good stickhandling, right?
Of course, why shouldn’t women participate in the challenge too? The former Salavat Yulaev cheerleader Ulyana Trigubchak didn’t calculate well the necessary forces and… judge yourself. She was then disappointed to say to her fans that such a video can be used against her in a court.
Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg’s cheerleaders decided not to follow the humor trend, trying to go with the best technique. An earnest attempt that went in!
Also, Kamil Gadzhiev, president of the promotion company Fight Nights Global and true martial arts popularizer decided to follow the trend. He was sure to need at least fifty attempts, but he hit the target at the second shot. Not bad at all!
Among the recipients who have not yet joined the challenge, we can find many Russian top players, like Ilya Kovalchuk, Vladimir Tarasenko, Evgeny Kuznetsov and many others. We definitely hope to check their creativity and great aim soon!
On Instagram, the challenge has amassed about three hundred clips with tens of thousands of views.
